The groups have written to the UN officials responsible for LGBT+ and other human rights.

Iranian LGBT+ organization 6Rang organized the letter. In it, they cited the example of a scholar from the Islamic Azad University who blamed coronavirus on homosexuality.

Abdul Majid Talibatash, director of the Quran Research Institute, said ‘sins such as homosexuality instead of marriage’ had become common. And he said ‘COVID-19 was a warning to modern man to refrain from modern and unprecedented sins.’

‘The LGBTI community around the world is often blamed for most of the world’s problems, from hurricanes and floods to financial crises.

‘The COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception. In many countries around the world, homophobic and anti-LGBTI groups and politicians use different forms of rhetoric to blame this community for what is a natural and human-made disaster.

‘Political and religious leaders in many countries including Iran, Turkey, United States, Israel and Ukraine are spreading misinformation about Covid-19 that incites violence and discrimination against LGBTI people.

‘As noted by the World Health Organization, this form of disinformation only fuels the existing stigma and discrimination. This is exactly what has been happening for the LGBTI community in many countries.’

‘Violence must not be overlooked’

6Rang signed the letter to the UN alongside MOSAIC (Mena Organization for Services Advocacy Integration and Capacity building) in Lebanon; the Korean Sexual Minority Culture and Rights Center in South Korea; the Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines; and the Diversity and Solidarity Trust in Sri Lanka.

It concludes: ‘Blaming the LGBTI for coronavirus must stop and violence against this community must not be overlooked, especially in this time of crisis.’